ar1anas• MICRONESIA'S LEAD,ING NEWSPAPER SINCE 1972 Typhoon Lynn surprises CNMI House I By Nick Legaspi telling of the storm's approach of emergency after the typhoon victims. Staff reporter said it was supposed to hit Guam, slammed Saipan with winds of Tenorio said a team from the files a Typhoon Lynn hit the Northern but suddenly the reports changed 103miles per hour. The declara­ Federal Emergency Management Marianas early Monday and left and local civil defense personnel tion of a state of emergency al­ Agency were expected to arrive with damages estimated to be said the storm would hit Saipan lows the mobilization of re­ Thursday to assess the typhoon lawsuit more than $6 million. But, many and Tinian almost head-on. sources and personnel to provide damage. He said results of the on the island were unprepared Acting Governor Pedro A. food, shelter, medical supplies FEMA survey will determine because early news broadcasts Tenorio declared a 30-day stale and other services to typhoon See "LYNN", Page 17 to even CUC is in budget charge now By David T. Hughes split editor (, For all practical purposes, the By Nick Legaspi .1 Staff reporter Commonwealth Utilities Com­ The House ofRepresenta­ mission has assumed control of tives wants the court to de­ the utilities, and executive direc­ clare that each house of tor Pelc Sasamoto said last week Legislature must receive that "I am starting to get a handle S1.04 million for operations on things - I even have a radio out of the constitutionally now!" limited legislative budget of But, all is not necessarily rosy with the takeover. Sasamoto said $2.8 million :i ye:ir. "I want the court to settle although the bw which g:r:e the this problem so we don't CUC control over the utilities waste time in dividing the Home destroved also gives them control over Many families, like the Cruz family of Kolblervile, lost their hbmes in the winds of Lynn. See other photos See "TAKEOVER", page 46 legislative budget every throushout today's issue. year," Speaker Joe R. Li- , foifoi said in an interview before the suit was filed OcL.15. The complaint for decla­ ratory judgment filed by House counsel Dennis Boaz at the Trial Court cites Con- stitutional Amendment No. 9 which limits the legislative persons in February this y~. The settlement agreementr~moves budget to $2.8 million a Continental's equity interest in Air Micronesia and gave Micronesian year. According to the com­ Al()t of J>eople gdt alot ofcredit but everybody agrees that Jose C. governments and citizens majority ownership, although Air Mike wili plaint, the amendment pro­ Tenorio and Lairy L. Hillblom were the main reasons why Microne­ continue to be managed by Continental as a joint venti.Ire. ··•• .• •·· vides that the budget be di­ sians now lookto the future with an airlirie they own and operate. Hillblom, following the signingof the settlement agreement, gave vided equally between the · The consensus came out during the signing Tuesday of the closing credit to Tenorio for the successfulconclusion of the disputes. "He was House and the Senate but agreement among Continental Airlines, Ine.,Texas Air, Air Microne­ a stubborn man," Hillblom said of Tenorio in an interview. · docs not provide specific sia, Inc;, United Micronesian Development Association,lnc;,Peopleof He said that Joeten, popularly known as Joeten, took some hard guidelines on how to divide Micronesia,lnc;;Hillblom, Russ Curtis and Conrado L;G. Crisostomo. decisions to keep Air Mike in Micronesian hands. Hillblom .said the funds. >·111ecfosirigagreemerit pr()videsforwaivers to·speedup·theimple­ See ''AIR MIKE'', Page 19 The Senate, according to merit<ltion of the Settlement agreement signed by the same finns and the complaint, wants a simple division of the total budget lo give each house High court allows vote $1.4 million. The complaint points out that the Senate, with only to stand on election nine members against the By Nick Legaspi House's 15 members, will Staff reporter actually have Sl.13 million The Ninth Circuit Court of for expenses artcr the sena­ Appeals has expressed serious tors' salaries ($30,000 a year doubts regarding a lower court's each) arc deducted. conclusion that the so-called The I louse, on the other marked ballots cast during the hand, will have only 1985 election in Tinian were not Judge Stephen elnhardt mon system of secret ballot elec­ $950,0(X) ldt for expenses illegal. after dcducli11g the rcprl·sen­ "A system of placing identify­ tions arc ba<>cd. There can be absolutely no justification for l:lli ves' sa larics (S.10,000 ing marks on voters' ballots for such a scheme. It constitutes a each or a total or S·Vi0,000). the purpose of monitoring their The Senate approa<:l1, direct subversion of the freedom electoral choices is repugnant to to vote as one chooses,"Judge See "HOUSE", age 21 the democratic principles upon Arson suspected in fire Stephen Reinhardt said in his Charred boo~s, wet p~pers and scorched office walls are fire signatures which the United States, the that lea,d police fire officials to think that a fire.in attorney Randy See "TINIAN", page 27 .an~ Commonwe.alth, and our com- Fennell s law office Is arson. See story page 47 for more details. ::<i~: ~ ;,~;TACKS OCTOBER 23, 1987 - MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS & VIEWS -- Page 3 ./ / Typhoon Lynn a new sensory experience Mercy! It really has been quite sleep. correct in its basic facts - that a week around the islands ..... We One of the major problems in certain legislators were not al­ have had a typhoon thatshouldn 't my bachelor household was the ways in the legislature, so the story was right. I also told them have hit us; Power outrages; no lack of water. I have been known that they could ask for an inter­ water; and finally, a lawyer's to go a day or two without a shower, but by Monday I was a view or write a letter to the editor office get torched. to put their side of it in the paper Yes, all-in-all, quite a week liule gurney. One of my neigh­ bors decided he was a little too views and opinions ex· and let the people decide. indeed. pressed herein are strictly I can say that if the legislature I am sure many of you arc ripe, too, so I saw him run outside those of the wr~er. They rmy. or may not· reflect the does haul a reporter before it in an wondering what happened with into a rainstonn with shampoo and soap in-hand, He stood under attempt to intimidate him or her, last week's paper. I want to here­ or to act as a court of law because with offer my apology for the the eaves and let tl1e rain pour may not be earning the money the ccrns about the mindset of any down on him, gelling clean in the taxpayers provide for their salary. public servant who feels that the their feelings are hurt, that a lot of story jumps that were not there unfavorable publicity will come and a few other problems: But., process. I figured "what the hell, I am also a great believer in pro­ public docsn't have the right to their way from the mainland be­ there is an explanation. why not?" and die! the same thing, tecting the identities of those who know what goes on in the halls of ~ cause story will be carried on the ~ Something happened to the as did.the two girls who live up­ want to tell the media whenever the legislature. Trying to intimi­ ~ wires of the Associated Press ~~ device that keeps the line voltage stairs. there is a person· in government or date a journalist is not the way to world-wide. constant to our computer system. The only problem was that at in other business who is not being foster confidence in voters. ~~ r.') The Commonwealth is part of ·~1' Whatever it was caused some first that water was COLD! But honest. I am sure that the legislators the United States in many re­ weird electrical interference with after a few minutes it was quite Nick Legaspi and I share this didn't like the story, especially if spects. Weareafreecountry. The I I> 1967 CARTOONEWS INC. SYNDICATE. NEW YORK. the hard disk system that we use pleasant and brought back common belief. We may differ on they were one of those named in ill~[ First Amendment guarantees free to contain our electronic files. It memories of when I was a child others, but in the belief that the the story. I have had several tell speech and a free press. No group ti\ scramblcd,thc data so badly that I and stayed al my grannie's farm. people who who come to us with me the story was "distorted", that of thin-skinned politicians can was unable to recover the pages We used rainwater then loo and information can have confidence "I was out of the Commonwealth l; change that. affected, OR the original stories had a great time. in our integrity, we arc both stead­ on government business." I as­ I have a lot of respect for the I that were involved. fast. ked the solons who talked to me; Holmes answers ******* people of the legislature. They Because of several factors, On a more serious 11otc: Sev­ Now I hear the legislature "were you then in-fact not in the have a tough job trying to bring story's charges including the fact I didn't have eral things happened at the close wants lo drag Nick before them to legislature as outlined in the order and self-government to an Dear Editor: enough actual time to re-write oflasl week that are of concern to ask who gave him tl1e information story?" At first they answered area used to years of being told According to your article, "Cable Lawsuit" in that portion of the story that was me, personally.